Authenticating device for filled bottles and the like



Feb. 6, 1945. F w FAR ELL 2,368,815

AUTHENTICATING DEVICE FOR FILLED BOTTLES AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 23; 1941 nv vrsnrron Frederick W Farrel! AT TORNE'Y Patented Feb. 6, 1945 AUTHENTICATING DEVICE FOR FILLED BOTTLES AND THE LIKE Frederick W. Farrell, West Brookfleld, Mass., assignor to Plymouth Cordage Company, Plymouth, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 23, 1941, Serial No. 412,040

3 Claims. (01. 40-134) This invention relates to improvements in authenticating devices for filled bottles and the like.

More especially it relates to the authenticating of bottles in connection with their labeling, as regards their contents, and the identity of the maker or bottler thereof.

The labels of well-reputed makersof beverages, and of other liquids sold in bottles, are sometimes counterfeited, to aid the counterfeiter in dispensing other goods as being those having the high reputation, or for fraud in some other respect.

To detect such frauds, the stocks held by dealers for sale to the public have tobe' examined. It is difiicult to determine whether "a retailers stock in trade is genuine, as labelled, or is spurious, because the visual aspect of goods and label can be copied very exactly by the counterfeiter. When a maker of the genuine employs inspectors for this purpose, he finds their work expensive, because the bottles have to be purchased and opened; and even then the available tests'for comparing the counterfeit with the genuine product may be uncertain, because of the cleverness of imitation.

For best utility in distinguishing the genuine from the spurious, a test mark must be one that is not itself counterfeited; and to this end it is helpful if it can be perfectly invisible under ordinary conditions. A device useful in this situation has been disclosed in the patent granted to Dr. Ernest H. Huntress, No. 1,822,098, of September 8, 1931, by which an identifying mark, for authenticating the package, can be applied in such a way that the presence of that mark would not ordinarily be suspected, being ordinarily invisible, although it fluoresces to visibility under ultra violet rays. 1

In my co-pending application for patent Serial No. 277,599, filed June 6, 1939, leading to Patent 2,262,492, there is disclosed and claimed a label in which a fluorescent substance usable for this purpose, except that unfortunately it causes a slight but possibly discernible discoloration, is embodied as an identifying and authenticating mark. By the invention there patented the discoloration is obscured in ordinary light by being covered by part of the label, viz, surface material on either side of the label, but the substance fluoresces to visibility when ultra violet rays are applied to it through the thin surface gum or finish.

This present application is a continuation in part of my said co-pending application, and"rerays to the mark, and to pass the peculiar, rays,

lates to the authenticating of filled and sealed bottles and the like by means of a fluorescent marking substance located between the bottle and its label whereby in ordinary light it is effectively obscured. The obscuring elements are, on the p one side, the whole label including its film of adhesive securing means; and on the other side the bottle, or the bottle-contents, or both. Yet

it' becomes visible under the effect-of ultra violet rays applied through the label or through the bottle and its contents. This concealment and identification through the bottle canbehad if the glass or other material of the bottle, or the contents of the bottle, or both bottle and-contents,

have suificient obscuring characterto hide whatever slight discoloration the test mark produces, as seen in ordinary light, and yet are combinedly sufiiciently translucent to transmit ultra violet that emanate thence as an effect. of the ultra violet rays.

l The invention provides means by which such a. mark, authenticating a labelled bottle, can be perfectly invisible to any ordinary handler of the bottle, and yet be so clearly readable by an inspector, equipped with apparatus for producing ultraviolet rays, as to assurethe inspectorthat the labelled bottle is genuine. If the maker has thus marked all ofhis output; of the kind in question, the finding on a dealer's shelf of a bottle I which has all the ordinarily visible appearances of the genuine, but which isnot hearing. the authenticating mark, unequivocally detects thatv as l a counterfeit. v I

In cases where either the bottle material or the contents, or their combination, is too opaque to pass the peculiar rays, a satisfactory result can be hadby using material for the label which is sufii-i cientlytranslucent. Ordinarily, paper can be successfully'employed, but metal foil in the label.

will .be'a barrier to the desired rays. 1

In an embodiment of the invention, the fluorescent marking substance may be applied either directly on an exterior surface'of a bottle and later be covered by the label; or may be applied on the back side of the label, which later is to be secured against the bottle. Either the bottle contents, or the material of the bottle, orthe two combinedly, conceal the mark from observation on one side; and the body of the label conceals reaction of the ultra violet rays on the fluorescent substance between bottle and label. The natural opaqueness of a paper label, and the slight tint possessed by many beverages, or a tinted glass that ma be selected for bottles of a colorless liquid, are sufiicie'nt to obscure the mark in ordinary light.

It is intendedthat the patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed,

In the accompanying drawing the single figure, is a diagrammatic showing of "a cross-section of a filled "bottle, with label and authenticating test mark, in which the elements are diagrammatia cally separated from each other, and some are exaggerated in thickness.

Referring to the drawing, l represents an ordinary bottle or other container made of glass or a plastic composition or other transparent or translucent materia Th la e 12 m y be. any ordi ary a l m d o paper Q o su ab e ma r al, carryi n an ordinary way on its front face, printed or other information concerningthe contents of the bottle and themaker or bottler of the co fifints.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a secret authenticating device to protect the trade and reputation of the party thus represented as maker or bcttl'er, and also to provide an implement by' which thepublic may be safeguarded againsltcounterfeit products assuming of course that the seal of the; bottle or other container remain unbroken. r 7

According to the invention, the fluorescent marking substance is M, seen between the bottle l0 and its label [2 having its adhesive film I3 in the diagrammatic drawing. It may be applied to either the back of the label or the exterior of the bottle at a place where the labelis to be later applied; In either case the-putting of the label on the bottle covers the fluorescent mark from View in ordinary light, becauseit isenclosed between bottle and label. I

The material of the bottle itself, and the contents, maybe opaque, translucent or transparent.

If either is opaque, the label must be of material penetrablebythe invisible rays to-which the mark 1 responds, and-by the visible rays with which it makes its response; yet sufficiently colored to ob' scure the mark. If the bottle and contents are translucent, the translucence in one or the other ofthese must be so limitedthat the two, or the one or, the other, afiords the obscurity sufficient crating from the fluorescent substance visible rays by which they also are permeable, so. that the mark i herebyy sibl as'an uthenticatin a In the claims, the term iull bottled when re.--

ferring to its constituting/the;obscuring means, is

intended to cover the situations where the obscuring is accomplished by either the bottle or its contents or these two together.

. marked, the distinctive mark would be destroyed Instances are found in the stilbene derivatives which are known to fluoresce, for example the free enuin labels ff. from'their ori inal ttl s, a

then applying them to bottles with spurious contents, a water-soluble fluorescent salt may be used. One such, which has the property of being invisible until ultra violet light is applied to it, isa sodium salt of 2-naphthol-3:G-disulphonic acid. Upon an attempt at removal of a label, so

by the water applied for removing the paper from the bottle, or for washing the bottle with the label still on it.

On, the other hand, by printing with petroleum jelly, carried in a suitable vehicle, for example,

' three times its volume of xylene, a mark is made which will not wash out in case'the label of a bottle gets wet.

The concentration of percentage of the fluorescing material in the fluid for printing the authenticating mark may depend upon the fluorescent characteristics of the particular material selected for use, easily ascertainablebytrial accordingto whatever strength maybe desired. An illustrative formula fora-vehicle, for applying the marking material in fluid form is, by weight:

towhich is added the desired proportion of fluorescent substance for which, in many instances 2% will be, found satisfactory.

The mark may be applied either byprinting it,

or markingit by hand as a signature or, otherwise s may conven n ior pr f rred, nv t bottle or on th cum, on the -a k of. a summed; label.

In some cases the mark may be a mere covering of the whole back side of the label, with a sub.-

tance wh c fluo esces distinctively. Or. the mark may b a t pp ed o spott d aspect; obned b stin a fine-fluorescent substance, suchas anthracene,; on the; backofv the label, or on the bottle before the label is. applied. Another.

methodrwhich would ofier marks. in many distinctive combinations. .is:t0 mark the back of the label or the bottle by printing'lines of different prising the-combination with the container of a Material to constitute the fluorescent mark may be any of these substances in the nature-of dyes mentioned in the said Huntress patent; or any er ub ta ha ng the p cal fiuq e i sx ha ac rist c. nd ap b eoi b in dscrbe orth w s he d n. h bbttle or e'.1a e a con,- de able. number. otwhichsubsta iqes, are known-1 labelling sheet secured 'exteri'o'rly'bn the container, and a fluorescent marking-substance, secured thereon by being-enclosed between the container and said sheet, constituting an authenticating mark whose presence. on'the labelling sheet would be dimly; visiblel ii the mark were not. covcred, but whose character as a. mark is invisible in ordinary light from; either the front; or rear-cf said package bythese'e cliqsingibodies; said fluoa rescent, substance havin the; character that. when subjected to ultra violet rays, it fluoresces. t cti e y as an the ticat n mark; the

Whole: thi kness at one oi-saidlobscurinsrhcdies.

being permeable by rays of ultra violet light and by the resulting visible fluorescent light which becomes generated by reaction of the ultra violet rays on the fluorescent substance, whereby said mark becomes visible through the obscuring means.

2. A self-authenticating package as in claim 1 wherein the fluorescent substance is applied on the exterior surface of the bottle, and is covered by the label when the label is secured on the bottle overlying the fluorescent substance.

3. A self-authenticating package as in claim 1,

wherein the fluorescent-substance is applied on the back side of the label, and is covered by the bottle when the label is applied to the bottle;

FREDERICK W. FARRELL. 

